The Shining Star of Williamsburg

P.S. 132 FAQ

School begins at 8:00 A.M. for Pre-Kindergarten & Kindergarten and at 8:10 A.M. for all students in Grades 1-5. The doors open at 8:00 A.M. to prepare students for line-up.

Breakfast on the Go – All students will be offered breakfast upon entering the school building and can eat their breakfast in the classroom. However, if you would like your child to eat breakfast in the cafeteria before the school day begins, have your child arrive between 7:40 – 7:55 A.M. via the Conselyea Street entrance closest to Manhattan Avenue.

Pre-Kindergarten children enter through the main entrance with their parents/caregivers. Parents/guardians are permitted to walk their child into the classroom.

Kindergarten enters through the Metropolitan Avenue door closest to Graham Avenue. Parents/guardians are permitted to walk their child into the classroom.

Grades 1 and 2 enter through the Conselyea Street door closest to Manhattan Avenue. Students await their teachers’ arrival in the cafeteria.

Grades 3-5 enter through the schoolyard entrance located on Metropolitan Avenue, closest to Manhattan Avenue. Students in Grades 3–5 will proceed to line-up areas in the Performing Arts Space and await their teachers’ arrival.

Dismissal Times and Procedures

Pre-Kindergarten & Kindergarten students will be dismissed at 2:10 P.M. Monday-Friday.

Grades 1 – 5 will dismiss at 2:25 P.M. Monday – Friday.

Pre-Kindergarten students are dismissed at 2:10 P.M. via the Conselyea Street Exit (#2) closest to Manhattan Avenue. Pre-Kindergarten students will line-up to wait for parents on either side of the ramp, in front of the gates, on Conselyea Street.

Kindergarten is dismissed at 2:10 P.M. via the Metropolitan Avenue Exit closest to Graham Avenue. The students will line up against the gate, leaving the opposite side vacant for parents to wait for their child.

First Grade is dismissed at 2:25 P.M. via the Metropolitan Avenue Exit closest to Graham Avenue. The students will line up against the gate, leaving the opposite side vacant for parents to wait for their child.

Third and Fourth Grade are dismissed daily at 2:25 P.M. and will line up in the schoolyard. Grade Three will exit first and will line-up against the far end of the schoolyard fence. Grade Four will exit next and will line-up against the fence closer to the exit doors. Parents will enter the schoolyard to pick up their children.

Fifth grade is dismissed daily at 2:25 P.M. through the Metropolitan Avenue door, closest to Manhattan Avenue. Grade Five will line-up against the wall of the school building on Metropolitan Avenue.

Any child not picked up by 2:30 P.M. will be brought to Room 101, located next to the security desk. It is imperative that all parents pick up their child on time on daily basis. If a child is continuously picked up late, parents will be required to meet with the administration regarding this issue.

Our Pre-Kindergarten students eat their breakfast and lunch in their classrooms. Additionally, Pre-Kindergarten classrooms (and Kindergarten classrooms) have a bathroom and water fountain for your little one. Our school proudly serves Breakfast in the Classroom Combo Menu and the Alternative Lunch Menu.

Q4. Does my child go out for recess every day?

Yes! P.S. 132 believes physical activity is necessary for the health and focus of our kids. Our students go out for recess every day except during active rain or snow. If there is no recess due to poor weather, your child is more than welcome to bring paper and crayons, a quiet game, or a book to help pass the time. Our playground boasts a sturdy jungle gym and a large open play area. Thanks to Lemonade Insurance Company and our PTA, our students will have access to Imagination Playground building blocks during their recess periods.

Q5. What support resources are available for my child?

Here at P.S. 132 we have a full school based support team including: Guidance Counselor, School Psychologist, Social Worker, Speech Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, RTI Specialist, Behavior/Academic Intervention Team, SETSS Team, ENL Team, and a School Nurse.

You can reach our School Based Support Team at 718-302-1637 and our school nurse at 718-302-9092.

Q6. I have a question about a school related activity, who can I contact?

Q7. What extracurricular activities/after school programs are available for my child?

School Band led by Mr. Seidner – Generally for Grades 2-5

ENL Academic Program

Test Sophistication Program for Grades 3-5

Please see here for additional information regarding after school programs.

Q8. I want to get involved- how do I help?

Our teachers can always use supplies such as tissues, hand sanitizer, Clorox wipes, crayons, glue sticks, etc. throughout the year as they get used and/or broken very quickly! Please talk with your child’s teacher to see what he/she may need.

Please talk to your child’s teacher for in-class ways to help, such as reading a book to your child’s class or coordinating an art project.

Join our PTA! Being a member of the PTA is a great way for parents to stay involved in school happenings. There are no membership dues (our PTA is free for all!) and you are not obligated to attend every meeting or volunteer at every event. We need your input, suggestions, and connections to continue to make P.S. 132 the shining star of Williamsburg! Please visit our PTA page here.

Tax-deductible donations to our school, school PTA, and school band are always welcomed and much needed. When you support P.S. 132, you are supporting the hopes and dreams of 700 students! To make a contribution, please see here.

Join our School Leadership Team! School Leadership Teams (SLTs) are vehicles for developing school-based educational policies, and ensuring that resources are aligned to implement those policies. SLTs assist in the evaluation and assessment of a school’s educational programs and their effects on student achievement. Find out more info here.

Save those box tops! Box Tops for Education are found on hundreds of products! Please send them in a baggie in your child’s folder, or drop them off in our Box Top box in the main office. Each Box Top is worth $.10. Although, that may not seem like much, it quickly adds up!

See here for more ways to contribute through your year-round shopping including: Amazon Smile, Shutterfly, Lemonade Insurance, and Charleston Wrap!

Q9. Help! My child lost his/her lunchbox, hat, glove, left shoe, etc. Where can I check?

There is a lost and found box in the main lobby. If unclaimed, items in our lost and found box are donated at the end of every month. Please check back frequently as teachers and cafeteria staff often add lost items to the box.

Q10. Is my child safe?

Here at P.S. 132 we hope you’ll never have to worry about safety! We have two (2) School Safety Agents who do a wonderful job protecting our students and staff. Information on lockdown procedures and fire drill procedures go home in your child’s folder at the beginning of the year.

Q12. What happens if my child is absent? What is the school’s policy on attendance?

P.S. 132 strives for 100% attendance. Consistent school attendance is vital in your child’s education. Classes with the highest year-round attendance will be rewarded with an Attendance Picnic.

Please call the main office in the morning at 718-599-5901 and let our office staff know your child will not be attending school. Please send a note in your child’s folder explaining the absence.

Students should not be released early from school on a regular basis. Please provide medical documentation/explanation for early release of your child. If you must pick up your child early, please send your child to school with a note in your child’s folder indicating the time and reason for an early departure. This will help to alleviate waiting time for you, as well as lessen disruption to the office staff.

Q13. What happens if my child is late?

If your child is arriving past the start of the day, please use the main lobby and sign your child into school indicating the time of arrival. Please remember that lateness is recorded on your child’s permanent school record. It is vital that your child arrives to school on time daily.

Q14. What type of enrichment does my child receive?

Every student has Art, Cookshop & Healthy Kids, Fitness/YOGA, Music, Spanish, and Technology weekly. The PTA also funds music and dance residencies such as TADA! Youth Theater for the younger grades, and Town Hall for the older grades.

Q15. Do you have a gifted and talented program? Do you have a dual-language program?

P.S. 132 offers a top of the line gifted and talented program for students from Kindergarten through 5th grade. For information on the G&T admissions process, please visit the Department of Education’s website here. For information regarding schools with dual language programs around you, please visit the Department of Education’s website here.

Q16. Does my child go on field trips?

Over the course of the school year, every grade will go on multiple field trips linked to the curriculum. Grades K-5 are required to go on one educational field trip a month. (Pre-Kindergarten trips do not begin until January, by which time every student will have turned four years old.) You’ll receive notice ahead of time via a permission slip in your child’s folder, which will also include an invitation for you to volunteer as a chaperone. Please note that most of the time, we have more volunteers than we need, so teachers will randomly select.

Q17. What is the school’s stance on bullying?

“It is the policy of the New York City Department of Education to maintain a safe and supportive learning and educational environment that is free from harassment, intimidation, and/or bullying committed by students against other students on account of race, color, creed, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship/immigration status, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation or disability. Such bias-based harassment, intimidation and/or bullying is prohibited.” The full document on Chancellor’s Regulation A-832 can be found here.

Q18. Can my child ride his/her bike/scooter/skates on school grounds?

Children are not permitted to ride bikes, scooters, roller-skates, etc. in the school yard during morning drop-off or dismissal time. Ball playing is also not allowed during these times. Once all our classes are released and the students are picked up, the school yard is not open for free play as we are not a community playground.

Q19. Can my child bring his/her cell phone to school?

Students may bring cell phones, computing devices, and portable music and entertainment systems to school, however they may not be turned on or used at school. They will be collected by the classroom teacher upon arrival to school and will be stored in the teacher’s closet until the end of the school day. Students who use cell phones, computing devices or portable music and entertainment systems in violation of the DOE’s Discipline Code and this regulation, will be subject to discipline in accordance with the guidance interventions and disciplinary responses set forth in the Discipline Code. If a P.S. 132 staff member confiscates a cell phone, computing device, or portable music or entertainment system, our Parent Coordinator will contact the student’s parent. The parent must pick up the device at the school at the end of the day.